Another Rapture
by AncienneLuna
Summary: A world is ending, but not the world he knew - a different, isolated world, connected to his by a very delicate thread. He is left totally lost as he suddenly finds himself in a place he's never been yet somehow can recognize, with people he's never met yet finds oddly familiar. When there's no way out, your only option is to make a way yourself.


**Author's Note:**

 **(Welp. Here we are. It was only a matter of time before I caved in and decided to write a horror-themed Hetalia fanfic. So, yes, if you're wondering, I love horror. And when I say horror, I don't mean that shock-factor, gore-filled Americanized version of "horror". That stuff just ain't scary to me. At all. Intestines, chainsaws, masked killers - yawn. BORE-ING! Well, boring as far as scary is concerned. Nah, my type of horror is the kind that leaves you with nausea and intense paranoia at night. The kind that makes you uncomfortably curious. Psychological horror, baby! Plus, who could resist some classic ghosty-ghouls in scary games? Sign me up!**

 **Anyways, this fanfic will use aspects from various franchises that I'm really inspired by, the two most prevalent being the Fatal Frame, Silent Hill, and Bioshock series. Sooo hyped for FF 5 coming to the US later this year! Honestly, even the worst of these games are enjoyable to me, simply because I adore this kind of horror. Eastern is the way to go, let me tell ya!**

 **This may actually be the first fic I'll ever write to receive an M rating - and only for things like gore or dark subjects. I'm a minor, yo - practically a fetus to be honest. Still too young to write those hardcore lemony make out scenes. But apparently it's totally acceptable for a minor to see guts and blood spill all over! America, amirite.**

 **Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Fatal Frame, Silent Hill, Bioshock, or Hetalia. While the characters themselves are not mine, my personal headcanons and crossover ideas were thought up by me one way or another. Dreams, usually.)**

* * *

Chapter I  
What is This Place?

"You know what sounds awesome in theory, but would be totally scary in real life?"

"Hm? What is that?"

"The apocalypse, obviously!"

"Why would the apocalypse sound 'awesome' in the first place?"

"It's because of all those horror things about the zombie apocalypse and stuff! They show buff dudes and hot chicks beating up zombies and havin' a blast, and they think that's exactly how it'd go down in real life."

"They're wrong, then?"

"Duh! People like to think that humans are invincible, but they're really, really not. I mean, just look at how things went down in Bioshock! Even the people that wanted that place to go to hell ended up regretting it in the end!"

"Have you been playing Bioshock recently?"

"...Maybe a little."

Kiku sighed and shook his head slightly as he understood his friend's sudden state of mind. Alfred had a tendency to get absorbed in the world of a game, making its story seem much closer to reality than it truly was. Of course, that's all part of the fun; playing a story-driven game without being immersed into it could lead to confusion or boredom. However, Bioshock was known to be a trilogy of shocking and horrifying events - things that have now surely been burned into poor Alfred's mind. While not technically categorized as being of the horror genre, many aspects of the series were rather disturbing. With Alfred like this, he likely wouldn't be able to stop talking about it for at least a few days. Yet... what he said had intrigued the smaller man. "So you would be afraid in the event of an apocalypse?"

Alfred's head perked up, his expression riddled with confusion and slight offence at being asked such a thing. How could a hero ever afford to be scared? Even if the world was collapsing around them, heroes had to remain strong to fight for justice and truth! Although... the very thought of encountering one of the iconic "Big Daddies" sent an uncomfortable shiver down his spine. He truly wondered sometimes how he would act in situations like that... but he would never admit to his best friend that the concept of chaos scared him. "Well... I think I might be at first - but then I'd get my head together and figure out some way to survive! The protagonist has to keep a level head to fight the bad guys, after all!" he exclaimed, his signature confident smile plastered on his tanned face. As long as he didn't have to fight alone, he could make it through anything.

Kiku smiled at this, glad to know that Alfred trusted him enough to give an honest answer. Even heroes have fears, after all. The fact that he was willing to keep moving forward in the face of danger was something Kiku admired in the young blond. "That's good, Alfred. It's important to keep a level head in times of stress," he commented, smile growing wider as he noticed Alfred's prideful expression. Despite already boasting a rather large ego regarding strength and skill, he still gained much confidence from the compliments of others, no matter how small or off-handed. Honestly, Kiku found that aspect of him to be pretty endearing, showing how much he truly cared about others and their opinions. "So, do you think an apocalypse is likely to happen sometime soon?"

With a scoff, Alfred shook his head slightly, behaving as if such a question was absurd. "Of course not! I don't think it'll happen this century - probably sometime in the 3000s, I'd say," he answered, giving the impression that he had put time into this opinion beforehand. Which, considering it was Alfred, was probably the case. "I dunno, society still seems pretty stable so far. I can't see such a big freak-out happening too soon," he continued, shrugging as he took a sip of his soda. Kiku, noticing this, snatched the fizzy drink away, explaining that drinking too much will keep him up all night. Alfred simply laughed his signature, obnoxious laugh, brushing off his guest's concern with ease. "Dude, it's a sleepover! Everyone knows that you don't actually _sleep_ at a sleepover!" the teen exclaimed, his voice reaching octaves a bit too high for this hour. Sighing, Kiku decided to give up on it, adding in one last comment to end the discussion.

"Even so, caffeine before bed can result in nightmares."

Suddenly, Alfred's body tensed, his expression morphing to one of mild concern as he eyed his bubbling beverage. Regret seemed to dawn on his face as he took Kiku's words into consideration. "R-really? Damn..." he mumbled, finally deciding to set down the cup on the coffee table, a sign that he was finished with it. Kiku couldn't help but smirk, amused at Alfred's contradicting behavior; one minute he's intently watching horror films, and the next he fears consuming caffeine due to the threat of bad dreams. "I just had this crazy nightmare the other day! That's what got me thinking about all that 'end of the world' stuff!" he explained, looking up at his guest with exasperation. "I can't afford another, man! I'll be up all week!"

... Nightmares? _He mentions this now!? After we just marathoned zombie movies? So much for sleeping..._ "Why didn't you say this before, Alfred?" he asked, not really able to hide his irritation. Paranoid Alfred is a sleepless Alfred.

"'Cause then you wouldn't let me watch scary movies! This is tradition man, I can't skip out just 'cause I had a bad dream!" Alfred defended, holding a hand to his chest in sincerity. He knew that, had Kiku heard of his nightmare beforehand, he would have cancelled their little Halloween get-together for the weekend. As enthusiastic as he was about Halloween, that was a fate worse than death in the young American's eyes. Unfortunately for him, Kiku's patience ran dry whenever he was tired, and tonight was no exception. He simply sighed in defeat and sat back against the couch, silently glaring at his companion as if saying, 'Tell me about it. Now. Before you keep me up all night with your paranoia.' _No getting out of this one, Jones._

"W-well... I remember bein' in this big, old city... it was cloudy and really, really cold. All the streets were empty, and the buildings, too, like no one had lived there in a long time," he paused then, reviewing the images in his mind to reassure himself that he hadn't passed over any other details. Satisfied he had covered everything, his gaze focused back on the expectant Japanese man next to him. "I was alone. It felt so surreal, like I was the last person on Earth. But then... I kinda wasn't alone. I think... I felt like, in the back of my mind, I knew there were people or-or something else in the city, too, but I felt like... it was bad to see them. It was almost like I was running from them," he continued, his sentences becoming longer and messier the more he went on. "I didn't know why I was there, but the circumstances - the emptiness and the cold - all felt totally normal. Like that was just how life was, no matter where you went."

At this, Alfred fell silent, looking down at his lap as he played with the fabric of his pajama pants. Kiku, confused and slightly curious, leaned in closer to convey interest, staying quiet to avoid interrupting the other's tale. For a while, it seemed like he had finished explaining the dream, but as Kiku opened his mouth to speak, the story was continued. "Then... then, everything went dark. So dark- I found a flashlight to use, but even that didn't help much. I was just-just filled with this sense of dread, like the darkness was just filled with... I don't know what, but it wasn't good! I just ran like hell, tried to find a way inside, the whole time feeling anxious like I absolutely had to get inside fast or... or...,"

"Or...?" the small man joined in, wanting to know what exactly had his friend so spooked.

"Or... something would get me. Something in the dark that I couldn't see, but I knew they were there, coming after me," Alfred all but whispered, practically curling into himself as he recounted his nighttime experience. "It was so freaky, but that's not what scared me... what was scary was that it felt real," he looked up into chocolate eyes, his fear plainly visible in his own aqua ones. "I'm not kiddin', dude- I could feel the cold, the sweat, the echoes in the streets, everything! I woke up in hysterics!"

While he has been known to be a bit of a prankster, he had never known Alfred to make up such stories as a joke. As he looked over his slightly quivering form, Kiku could see only an honest, scared, and anxious 19-year-old boy, looking desperately to his best friend for support. Alright, so maybe not all patience was lost quite yet. His expression softening, the raven-haired male reached out to rest a hand on Alfred's shoulder, hoping to comfort the other with the physical contact. "Oh, Alfred... you should have told me sooner. Then you could have gotten all this anxiety out much earlier," he began gently, using his thumb to rub soothing circles on Alfred's shoulder. "I know how very real dreams can feel sometimes... but even then, there is comfort knowing that it will always be just that - a dream. It can't hurt you anymore."

The shivering blond smiled warmly at these words, though he didn't seem entirely convinced of their meaning. "C-could we maybe... share a bed? Just for tonight? I wouldn't wanna wake up by myself if I have a nightmare again," he asked meekly, looking away as his question caused them both to blush. The grip on his shoulder tensed for a moment, but soon loosened as Kiku nodded his head in agreement. Alfred immediately grinned, letting out a quick 'Thank you!' as he hugged the older man tightly. This only succeeded in deepening the other's blush, and he gently tried to pry his energetic friend off of him before he suffocated. "Haha, sorry, sorry!" he giggled, releasing his vice-like grip as Kiku gasped for air.

Coughing, but smiling nonetheless, Kiku stood and gestured towards the staircase. "Should we go, then? I think we both could do with a bit of sleep," he said, and Alfred nodded as he rose to follow his guest upstairs to the master bedroom. The home the American lived in was simply a little townhouse, roughly the size of an average apartment split between two floors. There were two bedrooms, one of which he had converted into a sort of "hobby room", stuffed with various odds and ends relevant to the blond's broad range of interests. The room right of the stairway was the master bedroom, which he had been sure to clean thoroughly before Kiku's arrival. As they entered, Kiku was relieved to see that the room was neat and tidy, humming in approval as he made his way to the duffel bag placed next to the bed.

As he rummaged through the clothing he brought for the trip, Alfred plopped down onto his queen-sized bed, fully feeling his exhaustion as closed his eyes to rest. Though he was still worried about having that same dream once more, he truly felt much safer knowing that his best friend would be sleeping right by his side. He did feel a bit guilty about pushing the other out of his comfort zone, but surprisingly, Kiku hadn't seemed to mind too much about sharing the bed together. It really showed how close the two had grown since they first met as middle school students.

As he began to reminisce about his childhood days, Alfred found himself dozing off, falling asleep before Kiku had even joined him in the bed.

* * *

Cold. So cold... where'd the blanket go...?

A lazy hand reached out to feel around him, waiting until his fingers would come in contact with the soft fabric of his blanket so he could cover himself back up. When his skin only felt the chilly sting of old, dusty stone, something became clear to him: he was no longer in his bed, let alone his own house. _There must've been more in that soda than just caffeine..._

With a groan of fatigue, he managed to lift himself up from his resting position on the hard floor, eyes painfully adjusting to the unexpected bright light that filtered into the room. Carefully rising to his feet as his blood pressure adjusted to the waking world once more, the confused teen attempted to gather his bearings and figure out where he was. From the looks of it, he was in some small, brick building, possibly some kind of apartment complex. The few pieces of furniture that remained were overturned and broken, dust having already settled on all the bits and pieces. Outside light poured in from the broken window, completely illuminating the whole room despite being the sole light source. Once he could see properly, however, this light turned out to be a sort of false hope; the sky was completely overcast, bone-chilling fog drifting along the surface. Alfred squinted his eyes, trying to make out his surroundings through the cloud, but unable to do so. Huffing in frustration, he decided to simply find a way outside instead.

Turning towards the doorway, he was surprised to find it was open. Though he couldn't recall whether it was that way originally, it seemed a bit odd to the blond that the door was simply hanging wide open like that. Peering into the hallway beyond, one could note that all other doors were either closed, broken, or boarded up. Another fact that sent a feeling of anxiety throughout his chilled body- what the hell happened here that made people board up their doors? Were they trying to keep something out or... in? Alfred, after a moment's consideration, figured that was best left unknown. He wasn't about to risk anything, not in such an unfamiliar place as this. The room he had found himself in was on the fourth floor of the building, so he cautiously made his way down several flights of stairs, occasionally tripping over a misplaced wooden beam or fallen brick.

As he neared the bottom floor, the surrounding mist only continued to thicken. Broken windows and doors allowed the dreary clouds to drift inside creating a surreal and dream-like atmosphere. _Speaking of dream-like..._ a feeling of dread had been building in the pit of his stomach since he woke up. The setting, the temperature, the atmosphere- everything seemed painfully similar to that unspeakable dream he'd experienced the other night. But this felt different in a way... he couldn't tell if the world around him was fake. Upon examination, he was also able to experience pain, as the sharp pinch on his arm conveyed. Yet... it was impossible for this to be reality; the circumstances he found himself in simply made no sense. One minute, he's relaxing on his bed, waiting for Kiku, and the next-

 _Kiku_

As his foot reached the final step, front entrance in sight, panic fully surged through Alfred's mind. If he was here... then where was Kiku? Surely he couldn't be stuck here all alone? With the rush of adrenaline that filled his muscles, he dashed through the doorway and out into the deserted street beyond, frantically scanning his surroundings to check for any sign of life. His heavy footsteps echoed though the dull brick buildings that lined the street, only worsening the poor boy's fear. Being by himself in this place... no, there was no way. He couldn't take this stress otherwise... before he knew what he was doing, the teen picked a direction and began to run, desperate to find his friend. There was no guarantee that he was even here, but if he was...

If he was, he was probably lost, too. Lost and confused and alone... and it was a hero's job to protect his loved ones, even if the hero himself was afraid.

* * *

Alfred was really beginning to believe that he was the sole inhabitant of this mysterious town. Along his search he had found a tourist center, supplying detailed maps of the area and major sightseeing spots, as well as a few pens he could use to make notes of various points of interest. He located the apartment building that he had woken in and marked it with a small star, acting as a sort of reference point. So far, he had only been to the east of that spot, making his way to the large lake at the edge of town. The whole time, he had heard nothing but the echoes of his footsteps on the cracked pavement, almost afraid to call out for someone and break the fragile silence. Around the time he had arrived at the lakeshore, snow began to fall from the gray sky. At least, Alfred assumed it was snow - whatever substance drifted down to earth was strangely lacking in the same chill that filled the rest of the air, not even melting as it came in contact with his skin. It didn't take long for the little flakes to coat all open surfaces in sight, only adding to the emptiness.

Officially out of breath and unable to run anymore, he stopped to take shelter in an old toy store, sliding down the wall and plopping down uncomfortably on the cold tile floor. Of all the buildings he had attempted to investigate, only very few were actually accessible, and none provided any signs of recent human activity. He was lucky enough to locate a flashlight he'd found in an empty car, although the batteries had long since drained out. Looking at the map, his heart sank as he noted just how much he had explored and inevitably marked as "blocked" or "empty". With every new addition to the map, his hopes of finding Kiku grew thinner and thinner. Not to mention he still couldn't find a way out of this damned town.

For a moment, he merely sat there, eyes staring unfocused at the crumpled map in his hands. The world around him felt so distant, like none of what he was seeing was actually there. It was as if he could just close his eyes, count to ten, and suddenly find himself back in his bed, Kiku sleeping peacefully next to him in the early hours of the morning. There wasn't anything pointing to Kiku's presence in this town, after all- and how could a place like this possibly exist in the real world? It reminded him of the city of Rapture- an isolated metropolis under the sea, left to fall into chaos while the world above went on completely unaware. If Little Sisters and Splicers could live on undetected, then maybe it wasn't too much of a stretch that a freezing town of perpetual silence could exist somewhere, too.

Unknown to the exhausted American boy sitting motionless against the wall, something behind the counter stirred slightly. A subtle, muffled movement, unable to catch the blond's attention. For a few moments the world grew still once more, only to be interrupted as the something moved again, more pronounced this time. A sprawled pile lying haphazardly on the floor, the thing wiggled and squirmed, attempting to stand upright but too clumsy to rise off the floor. After exerting perhaps a bit more energy than necessary, knobs that resembled knees pushed themselves up to a stable position. It was shaking so much that it might fall down again, but it had a goal in mind. Something had caught its attention. Finally, clubbed feet connected to solid earth, and the thing made its way ever so slowly to its target. A target with contrasting blond hair and tired blue eyes.

It was another, more repetitive noise that caught Alfred's attention. A noise that he had not expected to hear.

Footsteps. Uneven, dragging footsteps, the sound resembling a child walking barefooted on a hard surface. Startled, he glanced up, looking outside into the street to see if anyone came walking by. Nobody appeared from the fog, yet the sound only grew louder and louder. Almost like...

 _Like it's behind me... coming right for me..._

He whipped around so fast that he nearly strained his neck, a strangled scream escaping his throat as his eyes met with the empty sockets of a monster. A flesh-covered, face-less, shaking monster, wobbling closer to him on spindly legs. A gurgling moan escaped from what appeared to be a mouth, Alfred stumbling backwards in sheer terror. Never before had he seen such a hideous, deformed thing- he almost felt like vomiting, but his throat was too tight to let out much more than a squeak. Now he knew that this all had to be a dream; there was no way such abominations existed in Alfred's world. Regaining control of his body, he stood upright and ran from the little toy store, his legs aching as he sprinted back up the street he came from. To his horror, the thing followed him, crawling after him at surprising speed. He had no weapons to defend himself - he didn't even know if it was possible to kill such a creature!

At the pace he was running, he had almost made it back to the original apartment building when he was stopped dead in his tracks. In front of him, completely blocking all access to the other side of town, was a tall, white wall. A wall that had not been there before, it couldn't have been there before. But how did it get here? What was happening in this hell of a town?!

The monster, seeing that its prey was trapped, stood again and walked towards him, groaning and screeching as it neared the miserable man. Alfred could only shake his head, collapsing on his knees as tears spilled from bloodshot eyes. There was no way out. This had to be a dream, all just a dream. Soon he would wake up, sweating and shaking, and cling to Kiku as the nightmare ended. Kiku would hold him comfortingly, rubbing his friend's back, soft voice murmuring sweet reassurances to help the American calm down. Then, after his tears had dried, they would make some nice breakfast together, maybe playing games or watching silly movies once the food was all gone... yes, that's what will happen.

The fleshy creature stood above him, opening its wide mouth as it prepared to sink its teeth into the boy's head -

 _SPLAT_

 _THUD_

Two sounds consecutively rang out in the abandoned city, a deafening silence following as calm was restored to the world. Dull blue eyes slowly opened. Alfred was acutely aware of the fact that he still lived - whatever happened behind him had somehow prevented his demise. Eyes wide, he turned to face his pursuer, afraid of what he would see.

A mottled mass lie on the pavement, blood leaking out to stain the faded asphalt with crimson droplets. The source of the bleeding was clearly the protruding object stuck right through its bulbous head, looking like some sort of arrow. The monster was dead, slain before it could enjoy its last meal.

Standing further from the crouching man was a figure, human in appearance. He held a crossbow in both hands, staring triumphantly at his kill. After catching his breath, the stranger glanced up at Alfred, and they both gasped simultaneously as their eyes met.

This man, who stood incredulously before him, expression full of shock, looked nearly identical to one Kiku Honda. Nearly identical, but not quite the same. There was something very different about this person, not only in his appearance.

He continued towards Alfred carefully, reaching a tentative hand out to help him get up. Without a word, the hand was accepted, the taller rising painfully to his feet. He nodded his head in thanks, and the Kiku look-alike smiled slightly in return.

Before the two had time to introduce themselves, something changed in the still air around them. The wind picked up and the sky began to darken, the stranger's eyes widening once more in fear. Alfred, who had no idea what was going on, was about to voice his concern when -

Sirens. Blaring sirens from all directions, so loud that the very ground beneath them began to shake and sway. The sky lost light at an alarming rate, fog disappearing to be replaced by sheer darkness. Through the awful noise of the sirens, he could hear the shorter man shouting at him. "Dammit, why now?! Come on, we've gotta get to the church before it's too late! Hurry!" he yelled, voice frantic as he grabbed the blond's wrist and took off running, Alfred just barely managing to keep up. His heart was nearly beating right out of his chest as everything began to change around them. Metal rusted and decayed, roads collapsed, buildings shifted and moved. It was like they were being transported into a different place, a different town entirely.

Finally, a towering building appeared through the inky blackness around them. The man only increased as they neared the building, Alfred noticing that the doors were beginning to close. The thought of being inside was more comforting than being trapped out in this chaos. They made it to the front steps, scrambling to reach the doors before they were locked out for good. Just as the sirens finally faded out, and all light had been sucked out of the sky, the duo dove into the church building as the heavy doors slammed behind them.

* * *

 **End Note:**

 **(Sorry if the ending seems rushed - I'm anxious to move onto the next chapter already!**

 **The town itself is not exactly Silent Hill - it's similar, but not the same.**

 **Just to be clear, Kiku and Alfred are not a pairing in this; it's 2p!Ameripan this time. I plan to implement more characters into the story eventually.**

 **Please, leave a review if you can! Even if you don't have much to say, I'd love to know that you read and [hopefully] enjoyed my story! Ideas and speculation is also very welcome~)**


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